The Cowboys enter their thanksgiving game riding the longest season win streak in franchise history, all doing so with their rookie quarterback. People who claim Dak Prescott is a product of the offensive line (I was one of those people), need to take a closer look at his game. Even though he seems to have all day in the pocket (he wasn't even touched in the second half last week), Prescott has completed an NFL-best 78% of his passes in the fourth quarter. The rookie from Mississippi State is showing the necessary patience in the pocket to hit his receivers for big plays, rather than trying to run the ball for 5 yards. The Cowboys defence continues to impress even with key players missing. The Cowboys face the Redskins can find a way to beat Big D, the race for the NFC East could be wide open.
2) Seattle Seahawks (7-2-1)
The Seahawks finally have a running game! After waiving starting running back Christine Michael, the Seahawks welcomed Thomas Rawls back into the team along with rookie C.J. Prosise with reps. The Seahawks rushed for a season-high 152 yards on Sunday after averaging less than half that entering last weekend. After Prosise burst onto the scene with a 72-yard rushing touchdown, he and newly-added running back Troymaine Pope both went down, Rawls will be forced to carry the load for the next few weeks. Seattle also lost key two members of the "Legion of Boom" in Earl Thomas and DeShawn Shead to hamstring injuries, they will both be out for at least two weeks. Anyway, enough of the injury talk... This Seattle Seahawks team looks scary. Russell Wilson finally looks like he is able to make plays out of the pocket and has been able to find Jimmy Graham and Doug Baldwin, who are also starting to look more dangerous, now that Russ is healthy. The Seahawks defence is by far the best in the league, I genuinely don't see how it is much of a debate. Wentz dropped back to pass 47 times, yet the Seahawks D were able to hold him to 195 yards. Rushing the quarterback hasn't been a problem, even without Michael Bennett, who Tom Brady calls the "best defensive player in the league", the Seahawks lead the NFL in sacks (31). Up next for Seattle, the quietly improving Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
3) New England Patriots (8-2)
The San Francisco 49ers were never going to give the Patriots too many problems, so it's hard to change where I had them last week. The Pats defence continues to look average, especially since losing their best player Jamie Collins (traded to the Browns). However, the Pats offence is still the best offence in football. Tom Brady threw for four touchdowns this weekend against the 49ers, and quite frankly could and should have thrown for a lot more, all without Rob Gronkowski. LaGarrette Blount continues to impress and his having the best season in his career, rushing for 124 yards. The Patriots face the Jets this weekend, who shouldn't give them much problems.
4) Oakland Raiders (8-2)
Just win, baby! That's all these Oakland Raiders seem to do right now, as they improved to an 8-2 record after a controversial win in Mexico City on Monday Night Football. The Raiders got straight-up lucky on three occasions, including the 3rd&1 and 4th&1 plays in the fourth quarter in which the Texans clearly gained enough yardage for the 1st down, yet the Raiders got the call and received the ball back, which set up the Raiders game-winning drive. Derek Carr continues to show he is an MVP candidate, with another touchdown in the fourth quarter (second most TD's in the 4th quarter in the NFL). Is there a better wide receiver duo than Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree right now? This week, the Raiders below average defence must contain Cam Newton.
5) New York Giants (7-3)
Surprised? You shouldn't be. The New York Giants (somehow) have gone under the radar, no-one is really talking about them even though they have the second-longest active winning streak in the league (tied with the Miami Dolphins). We know the Giants have an explosive offence; Eli Manning, Odell Beckham, Victor Cruz and Sterling Shepard scares any defence. But now that Rashad Jennings is having success running the ball, with 85 yards on 21 carries this past week, the playbook has opened for the receivers to become more effective. The Giants now have difference makers on their defence. Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon can rush the passer, Damon Harrison has been a dominant run-stuffer and defensive backs Janoris Jenkins and Landon Collins have been playing at an All-Pro level. The Giants face the winless Cleveland Browns this weekend and could really put pressure on the Cowboys in the NFC East.
6) Kansas City Chiefs (7-3)
Alex Smith is not having a great season... at all. He has thrown as many touchdowns as Case Keenum. I have never been an Alex Smith fan. I believe his inability to throw the ball down the field ultimately hurts them when it comes to the playoffs and clutch situations. But this season in particular, I think he is hurting this teams chances to be a serious contender. However, I do still believe they are the sixth best team in the NFL. Smith needs his star receivers Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce (tight end) to stay healthy and they need more from their running backs. Kansas City do have a great defence, but this past weekend struggled against Tampa Bay's running and throwing attacks. This team still has the personnel to worry any opposition in the NFL. Alex Smith needs a huge bounce-back game if the Chiefs are to defeat the Bronco's defence this weekend.
7) Denver Broncos (7-3)
The Broncos were on a bye week in week 11. Trevor Siemian has struggled in the past few weeks after having a reasonably good start to the season. Rumours of Paxton Lynch becoming the starting quarterback are far-fetched, the rookie out of Memphis University has shown he has a bright future, but is not ready to carry the load for this team. An off-season full of reading playbooks and learning how to read a defence will most likely see him as the starter next season. The Broncos hope to have starting cornerback Aqib Talib back this weekend against the unpredictable Kansas City Chiefs.
8) Atlanta Falcons (6-4)
9) Washington Redskins (6-3-1)
I have so much respect for Kirk Cousins. This off-season he banked on himself, signing a one-year contract. That looks to have been a great decision. Cousins is 3rd in completed passes and 6th in total QBR. He has been especially impressive throwing the ball down the field to Jamison Crowder, Pierre Garcon, DeSean Jackson and the crew. The Redskins offence found another weapon this past week, in the form of running back Robert Kelley. Kelley was able to hit the gap for big yardage against a struggling Green Bay Packers. The Redskins defence has also looked much better over the past few weeks. Josh Norman brings a swagger to a secondary that does give up some big plays, but have been able to make one big play to win the game for the Redskins seemingly every week. In week 2, the Redskins nearly handed the Cowboys their second less. 10 weeks later, they'll have another crack at achieving just that.
10) Detroit Lions (6-4)
Another quarterback that deserves a lot of credit, Matthew Stafford. The Lions won this weekend with only 12 rushing yards on 21 carries. Stafford drove his offence down the field in the fourth quarter to score the game-winning score for the sixth time this season. Stafford has been able to rely upon receivers Marvin Jones and Eric Ebron for huge plays in clutch situations. The Lions could take a two-game lead in the NFC North on Thanksgiving Thursday with a win over the Vikings. Both teams have had huge players from special teams in the past weeks, so this could be an exciting game to watch whilst you're finishing off your turkey.
11) Miami Dolphins (6-4)
Don't look now, but the Miami Dolphins have won five games in a row. I don't really know what to think of this team, in four of their last five wins they have been trailing in the fourth quarter and not played especially well. This past week against the Los Angeles Rams, the Dolphins played horribly for 56 minutes. In the last four minutes, Tannehill drove the offence down the field twice, going 57 yards to win the game. DeVante Parker came up huge in the clutch. Jay Ajayi finally came back down to Earth, struggling against a really good defensive front seven. Miami had key offensive linemen out this weekend, so I don't expect Ajayi's struggles to continue for much longer; he's the real deal. The Dolphins face the 49ers this weekend. It'll be six in a row.
12) Minnesota Vikings (6-4)
The defence and special teams once again stepped up for the Vikings and won them a game. The Vikings found their early season form against the Cardinals, in a win that they desperately needed to stop the bleeding from their four-game losing streak. Will they remain playing at this level? I don't believe so. Sam Bradford has played like I think we all expect him to play, he's an average NFL quarterback. I think he is better than Teddy Bridgewater, that will be interesting to see who they will stick with after giving up a first rounder to get Bradford. He is not helped by a poor offensive line that can't block at all for the run. Is there any point in Adrian Peterson coming back this year? What can he do behind this o-line? That remains to be seen. The Vikings have some tough matches coming up, starting this Thursday against the Lions.
13) Buffalo Bills (5-5)
The Buffalo Bills are the best rushing offence in the NFL, leading the league in yards per game, yards per rush and touchdowns. The Tyrod Taylor-LeSean McCoy read option offence should scare any defence, as they showed against Seattle when they nearly defeated the Seahawks at Century Link. Shady McCoy got hurt this past week, the Bills will need him down the stretch if they are going to make a push for the playoffs. The Bills secondary continues to give up big plays on throws down the field, the team was flagged nine times for 75 yards in week 11. The Bills face the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars this weekend. If Shady can't go, they will need Tyrod to win the game with his arm (and maybe a few Blake Bortles turnovers).
14) Philadelphia Eagles (5-5)
After watching a full Carson Wentz game for the first time this season against my Seattle Seahawks, I found myself feeling sorry for the rookie quarterback. Wentz played a pretty good game against the "Legion of Boom". He was able to gain yardage with his legs on broken plays and threw the ball. Yes, he was picked off by Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, but both were pretty great plays from the defensive backs and Wentz was under pressure to be sacked for a safety on the Sherman pick. However, the reason I feel sorry for Carson Wentz - the Eagles receivers. Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham especially have been borderline pathetic this season. Huge dropped passes, false start penalties, running the wrong routes... and a little more dropped passes. The Eagles usually dominant front seven were not able to give Russell Wilson and the Seahawks below average offensive line much trouble this past week. They will need to a big game this weekend if the Eagles are to beat the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay's defence is awful, but they can't afford to give Rodgers all day to throw the ball.
After watching a full Carson Wentz game for the first time this season against my Seattle Seahawks, I found myself feeling sorry for the rookie quarterback. Wentz played a pretty good game against the "Legion of Boom". He was able to gain yardage with his legs on broken plays and threw the ball. Yes, he was picked off by Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, but both were pretty great plays from the defensive backs and Wentz was under pressure to be sacked for a safety on the Sherman pick. However, the reason I feel sorry for Carson Wentz - the Eagles receivers. Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham especially have been borderline pathetic this season. Huge dropped passes, false start penalties, running the wrong routes... and a little more dropped passes. The Eagles usually dominant front seven were not able to give Russell Wilson and the Seahawks below average offensive line much trouble this past week. They will need to a big game this weekend if the Eagles are to beat the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay's defence is awful, but they can't afford to give Rodgers all day to throw the ball.
15) Houston Texans (6-4)
I also felt sorry for Bill O'Brien and the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. The Texans outplayed the number 4 team on my rankings, before blowing a fourth quarter lead. The Texans were incredibly unlucky with poor officiating, which I spoke about earlier. Brock Osweiler is slowly improving, Lamar Miller is a top five running back in the league and they still have DeAndre Hopkins. I think this offence is capable of putting up points, along with a Texans defence that is playing really well. Jadeveon Clowney was really impressive, can you imagine him and JJ Watt playing together rushing the edge? Jeez. The question is, do you trust Brock Osweiler down the stretch to make the right decisions and most importantly - not turn the ball over. The Texans return home to face the Chargers this weekend.
I also felt sorry for Bill O'Brien and the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football. The Texans outplayed the number 4 team on my rankings, before blowing a fourth quarter lead. The Texans were incredibly unlucky with poor officiating, which I spoke about earlier. Brock Osweiler is slowly improving, Lamar Miller is a top five running back in the league and they still have DeAndre Hopkins. I think this offence is capable of putting up points, along with a Texans defence that is playing really well. Jadeveon Clowney was really impressive, can you imagine him and JJ Watt playing together rushing the edge? Jeez. The question is, do you trust Brock Osweiler down the stretch to make the right decisions and most importantly - not turn the ball over. The Texans return home to face the Chargers this weekend.
16) Baltimore Ravens (5-5)
At 5-5, the Ravens sit atop of the underwhelming AFC North. In all honesty, the Ravens could be 10-0, and they could be 0-10. All five of their losses have been less than eight points and they have either thrown away or took the lead in the fourth quarter. But, three of the Ravens wins have come against the Browns and Jaguars. The Ravens have an exceptional run defence but was not able to contain Dez Bryant this past weekend, especially after the Ravens lost their best cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Ravens face the Bengals who will be without AJ Green. Expect the Ravens to end the Bengals season, if it isn't already.
At 5-5, the Ravens sit atop of the underwhelming AFC North. In all honesty, the Ravens could be 10-0, and they could be 0-10. All five of their losses have been less than eight points and they have either thrown away or took the lead in the fourth quarter. But, three of the Ravens wins have come against the Browns and Jaguars. The Ravens have an exceptional run defence but was not able to contain Dez Bryant this past weekend, especially after the Ravens lost their best cornerback Jimmy Smith. The Ravens face the Bengals who will be without AJ Green. Expect the Ravens to end the Bengals season, if it isn't already.
17) Arizona Cardinals (4-5-1)
18) Pittsburgh Steelers (5-5)
19) Indianapolis Colts (5-5)
20) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-5)
21) Carolina Panthers (4-6)
22) Tennessee Titans (5-6)
23) San Diego Chargers (4-6)
24) Green Bay Packers (4-6)
25) New Orleans Saints (4-6)
26) Cincinnati Bengals (3-6-1)
27) Los Angeles Rams (4-6)
28) New York Jets (3-7)
29) Chicago Bears (2-8)
30) Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8)
31) San Francisco 49ers (1-9)
32) Cleveland Browns (0-11)
No comments:
Post a Comment